- Joined
- Dec 24, 2015
- Messages
- 165
- Reaction score
- 81
Hi,
I wanted to share an update on my journey to becoming a Piper Turbo owner. As some of you may recall, I bought a Turbo III a few years ago (link to your old thread) and immediately sent it to Don (@flyguydon) for an engine overhaul. Due to the pandemic, everything took much longer than expected, with extended lead times as many of you know (ie: more than a year for my autopilot). The good news is that Don finished the engine overhaul and installed my autopilot and I got the plane back earlier this year.
Since I was already used to the waiting game, I decided to dive right in and start the panel as soon as I got the plane back. I used AutoCAD to design the panel, iterating through several plastic prototypes with the help of www.sendcutsend.com, which I highly recommend for prototyping. Once the design was finalized, I worked with local vendors for the fabrication, including laser cutting, powder coating, and laser etching. The process also gave me a great opportunity to thoroughly clean out the area behind the panel, which had collected years of clutter (as Don can attest lol). I also upgraded the yokes while I was at it, since I called Avion and to my surprise they had a few in stock and shipped them the next day.
For the wiring, I used the Approach Fast Stack system (https://approachfaststack.com). I have to say, they were fantastic to work with and very responsive throughout the entire process. I also want to express my sincere gratitude to Don for his invaluable help in getting me this far, and to Stefan (@sierrakilo99) who is based at my airfield and is always willing to lend a hand and his knowledge.
There are still a few hurdles to overcome. I'm encountering a few new issues, such as one fuel sender being inaccurate even after a rebuild and a mag check RPM issue. However, we are making steady progress towards getting this bird finished.
Happy to share any info if others are interested in doing something similar and will share pics of further progress as I move to the next steps.
Thanks -w
I wanted to share an update on my journey to becoming a Piper Turbo owner. As some of you may recall, I bought a Turbo III a few years ago (link to your old thread) and immediately sent it to Don (@flyguydon) for an engine overhaul. Due to the pandemic, everything took much longer than expected, with extended lead times as many of you know (ie: more than a year for my autopilot). The good news is that Don finished the engine overhaul and installed my autopilot and I got the plane back earlier this year.
Since I was already used to the waiting game, I decided to dive right in and start the panel as soon as I got the plane back. I used AutoCAD to design the panel, iterating through several plastic prototypes with the help of www.sendcutsend.com, which I highly recommend for prototyping. Once the design was finalized, I worked with local vendors for the fabrication, including laser cutting, powder coating, and laser etching. The process also gave me a great opportunity to thoroughly clean out the area behind the panel, which had collected years of clutter (as Don can attest lol). I also upgraded the yokes while I was at it, since I called Avion and to my surprise they had a few in stock and shipped them the next day.
For the wiring, I used the Approach Fast Stack system (https://approachfaststack.com). I have to say, they were fantastic to work with and very responsive throughout the entire process. I also want to express my sincere gratitude to Don for his invaluable help in getting me this far, and to Stefan (@sierrakilo99) who is based at my airfield and is always willing to lend a hand and his knowledge.
There are still a few hurdles to overcome. I'm encountering a few new issues, such as one fuel sender being inaccurate even after a rebuild and a mag check RPM issue. However, we are making steady progress towards getting this bird finished.
Happy to share any info if others are interested in doing something similar and will share pics of further progress as I move to the next steps.
Thanks -w
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